Israel-Hamas war: Iraq condemns U.S. drone strike on militant commander

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What we know

• Hamas officials traveled to Cairo today for further cease-fire talks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected proposals from the militant group to end the fighting, insisting that Israel would fight on until it secured "absolute victory." After a second day of talks with Israeli leaders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew out of the country without a hostage deal.
• Iraq has criticized the U.S. after it killed a commander of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia in a drone strike, calling the attack in Baghdad "a clear-cut assassination operation." U.S. Central Command described Abo Baqir Al-Saadi as being directly responsible for planning and participating in attacks on American forces in the region.
• U.S. strikes launched last week in Iraq and Syria killed or wounded more than 40 militants from Iranian-backed militias in those countries, the Pentagon said.
• Israel stepped up its assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza early today after Netanyahu called it the "last bastion" of Hamas and said his country's military would expand its offensive into the city, where more than half of the strip’s population is sheltering. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned the assault would worsen Gaza’s "humanitarian nightmare."
• More than 27,800 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 67,300 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead.
• Israeli military officials said at least 224 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion of Gaza.
• NBC News’ Keir Simmons, Raf Sanchez, Matt Bradley and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the